Everything You Need to Know When a Parent Dies

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-- This attempt at an easy-to-read book on a sensitive subject succeeds only marginally. The text is broken into chapters covering the shock of loss, special problems when a divorced parent dies, a parent with a terminal illness, funerals, grieving, and helping friends cope with loss. The writing is choppy; the text is mostly in the third person, using case histories and diary entries to illustrate points. However, it occasionally slides into the second-person, sometimes assuming emotions that may not exist. The intended audience is unclear: the tone is elementary and, at times, simplistic; however, there is mention of getting part-time work to help out financially after a parent dies, and the mediocre full-color and black-and-white photographs are almost all of teenagers. The further reading list includes both fiction and nonfiction entries. A more successful book with a similar scope is Learning to Say Good-bye (Macmillan, 1976) by Eda LeShan. --Marilyn Long Graham, Lee County Library System, Fort Myers, FL